 "D Gukesh is surrounded by fans outside the venue where the FIDE Grand Swiss is currently taking place ahead of his fourth-round meeting with fellow Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi on Sunday. Image credit: Screengrab of video posted by Chessbase India on X")
D Gukesh is among the most recognised names in the world of chess since he defeated China’s Ding Liren last December to become the youngest world champion ever. And despite the fact that the 19-year-old Indian GM has not been having a great run across formats this year, his aura as a global superstar remains undiminished.
Gukesh gets a hero’s welcome in Samarkand
Gukesh, after all, was accorded a hero’s welcome ahead of the fourth round of the ongoing FIDE Grand Swiss tournament in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The teenager was making his way to the Silk Road Expo on Sunday when he was mobbed by a group of children outside the venue, happily obliging requests for selfies and autographs.
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Once inside the venue, the Classical world champion would go on to play out a 46-move draw in an all-Indian battle against Arjun Erigaisi . The game developed from a Catalan Opening and witnessed multiple exchanges take place in the middle game, including a Queen exchange by the 30th move.
The two players were left with a knight each on the board, and decided to shake hands in the end through repeated moves. They remain joint-second in the standings with a total of three points – courtesy of two wins and as many draws – along with top-ranked Indian R Praggnanandhaa and nine others.
Gukesh didn’t need to participate in the ongoing tournament – in which the top players will qualify for next year’s Candidates – given he’s the defending world champion. When quizzed on the reason for his participation, Gukesh revealed that he wanted to “prove himself” in a “super strong” Swiss-style tournament.
“I’m happy to be back here in Samarkand. I was here in 2023 for the World Rapid and Blitz. It’s nice to be back here. Although there’s no need for me to qualify (for the Candidates), I think this is still a great tournament.
“There are not many super-strong open Swiss tournaments. It’s an opportunity for me to play in a different format and prove myself,” Gukesh had said last week ahead of the start of the tournament that features a total of 172 players and a combined prize money of $850,000 across the ‘Open’ and ‘Women’ categories.